What color curtains should I get?
October 8, 2010 6:54 PM Subscribe
What color curtains should I get?
I'm a single guy in my late 20's in a new apartment. All my life I've lived in apartments with blinds, but this one doesn't have hooks for blinds, but has for curtains.
So I want to buy curtains, but I'm completely clueless as to what color I should get. This is for the living room, which has an exposed brick wall, red couch, black TV, and a desk that is yet to be bought.
What color curtains are going to look good?
I'm a single guy in my late 20's in a new apartment. All my life I've lived in apartments with blinds, but this one doesn't have hooks for blinds, but has for curtains.
So I want to buy curtains, but I'm completely clueless as to what color I should get. This is for the living room, which has an exposed brick wall, red couch, black TV, and a desk that is yet to be bought.
What color curtains are going to look good?
Best answer: I think you can't go wrong with white, or off-white. While it seems a little boring and obvious, it would keep your living room from looking too dark and man-cave-ish.
If you decide on a stronger color, please, I urge you -- get a white lining for the side that faces the window, e.g. what the outside world will see when they're drawn. There is not much my mother and I agree on when it comes to home decor but she was right when she said that seeing colored curtains in people's windows looks cheap and tacky.
posted by contessa at 7:11 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you decide on a stronger color, please, I urge you -- get a white lining for the side that faces the window, e.g. what the outside world will see when they're drawn. There is not much my mother and I agree on when it comes to home decor but she was right when she said that seeing colored curtains in people's windows looks cheap and tacky.
posted by contessa at 7:11 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
Can you post a picture of what it looks like now? I promise to suggest a good color, not burgle you!
If that isn't possible, the off white of your choosing is the safest bet, but if you want to be a bit more fashion forward we can suggest colors. Black would be super-dramatic but you'd need to commit to that look throughout the room.
posted by cestmoi15 at 7:39 PM on October 8, 2010
If that isn't possible, the off white of your choosing is the safest bet, but if you want to be a bit more fashion forward we can suggest colors. Black would be super-dramatic but you'd need to commit to that look throughout the room.
posted by cestmoi15 at 7:39 PM on October 8, 2010
How about a nice slate blue/gray?
posted by jay dee bee at 8:20 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jay dee bee at 8:20 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you paint the wall around the window an interesting (but not too strong) color, then white or off-white curtains can look very lovely and make the room look bright and clean. Of course, then you need to choose a wall color; with brick, a nice light gray that picks up the mortar between the bricks (but a shade or two lighter) could be nice for you, or a light mossy nearly-neutral-but-not-hospital green could go well. This kind of color could also set off the couch quite well.
To your brick-red and gray color scheme, you can add an accent color like periwinkle or another shade of blue you like, or a saffron color, and use that in curtain ties, one couch pillow, and maybe some wall art that's not too dominant. Voila.
It also makes sense to pick the art first, then choose the accent color based on that.
Have fun!
posted by amtho at 8:27 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
To your brick-red and gray color scheme, you can add an accent color like periwinkle or another shade of blue you like, or a saffron color, and use that in curtain ties, one couch pillow, and maybe some wall art that's not too dominant. Voila.
It also makes sense to pick the art first, then choose the accent color based on that.
Have fun!
posted by amtho at 8:27 PM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
Red. As close to the couch as possible. Red and black is in.
posted by wackybrit at 10:16 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by wackybrit at 10:16 PM on October 8, 2010
I'd say as close to either the couch or the wall as possible. Or maybe a dark espresso brown if the couch has any brown wood on it (then get a dark desk too). I'd be concerned that white or green would make it Christmas all the time in your place.
posted by fshgrl at 10:28 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by fshgrl at 10:28 PM on October 8, 2010
With that setup, get a blue carpet and matching blue curtains.
Remember that the curtains should always match the carpet.
(/innuendo)
posted by ruelle at 5:39 AM on October 9, 2010
Remember that the curtains should always match the carpet.
(/innuendo)
posted by ruelle at 5:39 AM on October 9, 2010
Red curtains with red furniture can make for a brothel-y look.
posted by galadriel at 7:31 AM on October 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by galadriel at 7:31 AM on October 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Neutral colours are the easiest, as they will go with anything. With a brick wall and a red couch you're at no risk of looking boring, even if you get neutral curtains.
This gives you white, shades of gray through to black, and all shades of beige and brown. The white and the grays are cooler colours, the beiges and browns are warmer, even more if there are some red tones in there (red-brown for example).
If your space is big or draughty, you might want to get darker or warmer colours to make it more intimate. If it's small, lighter cooler colours will help it seem bigger. Warmer colours may go better with your wall and your couch. Dark gray or black will give it more of a "man pad" feel, and anything on the white/gray/black spectrum will help to make it look more modern, more edgy and less cosy (as a rule of thumb).
Whatever you do, get a sample (or six) and bring it back and look at it next to your couch. Colours look different depending on the light and the colours of the surrounding things, so something that looks good in the store could easily look horrible in your apartment.
posted by emilyw at 8:23 AM on October 9, 2010
This gives you white, shades of gray through to black, and all shades of beige and brown. The white and the grays are cooler colours, the beiges and browns are warmer, even more if there are some red tones in there (red-brown for example).
If your space is big or draughty, you might want to get darker or warmer colours to make it more intimate. If it's small, lighter cooler colours will help it seem bigger. Warmer colours may go better with your wall and your couch. Dark gray or black will give it more of a "man pad" feel, and anything on the white/gray/black spectrum will help to make it look more modern, more edgy and less cosy (as a rule of thumb).
Whatever you do, get a sample (or six) and bring it back and look at it next to your couch. Colours look different depending on the light and the colours of the surrounding things, so something that looks good in the store could easily look horrible in your apartment.
posted by emilyw at 8:23 AM on October 9, 2010
I would maybe add another natural color and go with a chocolate brown it will help keep the sun out but you could add a clear off white liner underneath so if you want to pull them back you still have something there to make it look nice. Keep us posted and good luck.
posted by 4Spokenwords at 9:29 AM on October 9, 2010
posted by 4Spokenwords at 9:29 AM on October 9, 2010
Ikea has really nice linen curtains that are quite affordable. They come unhemmed with iron-on tape for hemming. They'd go well with red, black and brick. They're the color of natural linen, kind of a khaki color.
posted by theora55 at 12:25 PM on October 9, 2010
posted by theora55 at 12:25 PM on October 9, 2010
I also have a red couch (and mismatched red curtains that came with the house, ugh). I think the best plan is to go for a robin egg blue, or light teal, curtain. I love the way these colors look together. If adding more color is not what you're going for, then I'd go with tan or beige. Keep it light, since it's going to be against exposed brick walls.
posted by lexicakes at 8:37 PM on October 9, 2010
posted by lexicakes at 8:37 PM on October 9, 2010
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You might take a few pictures of the living room on your phone. That way you can hold the picture up against the curtains at the store and see if the color seems ok to you.
posted by ldthomps at 7:06 PM on October 8, 2010